NHL's 600-Goal Club & Ken Dryden's "The Game"
Also, some "Today in Hockey History", top 10 Hobey Baker winners, and more.
Welcome to the THW Hockey History Substack newsletter, with all the best from our extensive archives.
In today’s edition, we have a couple “Today in Hockey History” posts, the NHL’s prestigious 600-goal club, why Ken Dryden’s book “The Game” is still a classic, the top 10 Hobey Baker winners, and more.
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Today in Hockey History: Feb. 3
This has been a very intriguing date in the history of the National Hockey League. In Detroit, two all-time greats who shared the same last name left their mark. More than a handful of Hockey Hall of Famers set personal milestones. Plus, this has been a memorable day in Edmonton and Washington DC. Let’s take our daily trip back through the years and see the best Feb. 3 has had to offer.
The NHL 600-Goal Club
For most hockey players, winning the Stanley Cup is the ultimate goal. From being drafted to helping a team through the regular season, playoffs and eventually Stanley Cup Final, hoisting the Cup is always the end goal. Along the way, however, players all seek to play the best they can for a variety of purposes. While players always want to win games, the accolades that come with personal success are not overlooked by players on their journey – whether it be a new contract or the glory that comes with hitting huge career milestones, players are not only thinking about winning – as much as they may want the general public to believe so.
One of the most exclusive clubs in the NHL comes in the form of the “500-Goal Club.” It is a club that is so exclusive, that only 47 players in the history of the league have ever reached such a milestone. Only three active players have hit the mark with Evgeni Malkin looking like the next closest to reaching the plateau. One goal that is even more exclusive than the 500-Goal Club, however, is the “600-Goal Club.”
Ken Dryden’s “The Game,” Still a Classic
If you look at a list of all-time great books about hockey, invariably, Ken Dryden’s The Game will be in the top 10. The book is actually number nine on Sports Illustrated’s list of the 100 best sports books of all time. The only other hockey book to crack that list—which, complied in 2002, is admittedly old—is Game Misconduct by Russ Conway, which comes in at number 92. One list calledThe Game “the best sports book ever written by a participant.” The accolades are well deserved.
Today in Hockey History: Feb. 2
Feb. 2 was a very eventful date in NHL history. A trio of players had five-goal performances while 700 was relevant for another threesome. There was also an odd outdoor game at a prison between an NHL squad and a team of inmates. Plus, fans in Pittsburgh had plenty to cheer about. It’s time for THW’s daily look back at all the best memories from this date over the decades.
Top 10 Hobey Baker Winners of All Time
The Hobey Baker Award, awarded annually to the most valuable player in the college hockey world, was first dished out in 1981. Since then it has been handed out to some of hockey’s biggest stars. Countless winners have gone on to become elite talent at the NHL level.
This article ranks the top 10 winners of NCAA Hockey’s most coveted trophy since its origin. The players are ranked based on their performance in their winning season and the rest of their college days, not necessarily their post-NCAA careers.